Oklahoma Must Turn Its 2024 Achilles' Heel Into Strength to Get Offense Back on Track

The result was a disjoint unit that struggled to find any continuity, giving Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins little time to operate post-snap. 

If Mateer suffers the same fate this fall, no amount of starting experience will be able to help the Sooners turn things around on Ben Arbuckle’s side of the ball. 

Tackle Logan Howland and guard Heath Ozaeta, who finished the season as the left side of the offensive line, missed spring football to rehab offseason shoulder procedures. Otherwise, the line made it through spring without major incident — the first big win of the year for Bedenbaugh. 

With fall camp on the horizon, OU’s o-line guru must find real answers to have the offense ready to battle Michigan’s defensive front in Week 2. 

Veterans Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor and Febechi Nwaiwu return alongside Howland and Ozaeta, though fans never truly saw the best of Sexton and Taylor a year ago as they both battled injuries.

Bedenbaugh also added experienced transfers in former Stanford interior offensive linemen Luke Baklenko and Jake Maikkula and Western Carolina tackle Derek Simmons. 

But the best-case scenario lies with OU’s underclassmen. 

Guard Eddy Pierre-Louis was the first name out of Brent Venables’ mouth when he was asked about underclassmen at SEC Media Days last week. 

 “You'll see a lot of Eddy Pierre-Louis,” he said. 

Pierre-Louis was not an early enrollee last year, so he entered the 2024 season a bit behind. He played against Temple, Maine, Alabama and Navy, totaling 65 snaps on offense per Pro Football Focus, and he needs to win one of OU’s guard spots to raise the ceiling of the offensive line. 

Nwaiwu started every game at right guard. He was OU’s highest-rated guard who played a significant role, but with a PFF grade of 59.6 for the year, that’s hardly a high bar to clear. 

Nwaiwu played 864 snaps, allowing four sacks, 12 hurries and 16 quarterback pressures.

Ozaeta played 630 offensive snaps per PFF, and he also allowed four sacks, 11 hurries and 15 pressures. 

Bedenbaugh will have plenty of options at tackle. 

Sexton, Howland, Taylor and Simmons all have experience, but the best indication that the line will take a leap is if 5-star freshman Michael Fasusi finds his way onto the field. 

Barring injury, the Sooners won’t have to force Fasusi into action until he’s ready. Bedenabugh is traditionally conservative with his underclassmen, but the last time he trusted a talented freshman, the move paid off. 

Cayden Green was Bedenbaugh’s highest-rated commitment when he initially joined the Sooners. 

He earned playing time in the early stages of conference play in 2023, and by the end of the year, his future appeared to be incredibly bright in Norman. 

Fielding freshmen and sophomores increases the chances of mental miscues, but things couldn’t get worse than last year up front, and the line will have to make drastic improvements to lift the offense in 2025. 

Trusting underclassmen is a risk, but so was hiring a 29-year-old offensive coordinator with no SEC experience. 

Venables refused to play it safe when he hired Arbuckle. Bedenbaugh needs to follow the example of his head coach.